New Years Festival
by mistyhollowdrummer
Summary: When he first asked me, I thought he was kidding. I looked away from his green eyes to the window to see the sun setting over the sky, then looked back. When I could see he wasn't kidding, when I heard the serious tone to his voice, I knew he was asking me an honest question. He was asking me to go to the New Years Festival with him. First person, Yoite's POV. Hope you like.


**A/N: grwheiaog;hfven HIIIIIII! XD Gosh, it's been waaay too long since I put anything on here. I wanted to get this out on New Years day but... Well yeah, a month late. XD I've been sick and busy with school and bleh. You don't care. XD ANYWAY...! ... I don't know what else to say. owo... I worked very hard on this, that's what I can say, and I hope there aren't many mistakes, if any. If you see one, please point it out so I can fix it. ^^ I guess that's it. I don't even have a song... How about some anime? ^^ Well, here are my recommendations: Okami san and her Seven Companions. Baka and Test. And a good game (that's very anime) is called Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon. I guess that's it for now. ^^ I hope to get lots of reviews~~~**

**-Misty**

**P.S. I'm not used to writing in first person. I have, but not for Yoite. owo... Miharu yes, Yoite, NO. e.e**

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When he first asked me, I thought he was kidding. I looked away from his green eyes to the window to see the sun setting over the sky, then looked back. When I could see he wasn't kidding, when I heard the serious tone to his voice, I knew he was asking me an honest question.

"Please come to the festival with me, Yoite." Miharu placed a hand cautiously on my thin knee and looked into my eyes, forcing me to continue looking at him. Since I had started living with Hanabusa and Thobari sensei, the little threads of kindness they used in life's most common things were wrapping around me, tangling me until I couldn't breathe. This, I assumed, was something I had just gotten used to. Miharu's touch seemed to be what kept my sanity intact.

"Why?" I asked, trying to look down at my knitting instead, but Miharu's green eyes were captivating and holding me into a bind.

"Because, Yoite, it's a new year. All that happened last year..." Miharu seemed to trail off; like he was regretting the words he spoke. "It's over, Yoite. It's a new year, a new start for our lives." I swallowed. Miharu spoke so forcefully, yet never showing a hint of emotion on his face.

I could never read him, and it was frightening. Then again, I couldn't read people very well. I wished I could just for Miharu. I wanted to know what he was thinking. I wanted to know why he seemed so fascinated by me.

He was always staying close to my side. He was the one who gave me the most attention. He was always helping me to bed, or to sit in my wheelchair. He was always touching me. Even now he was doing it.

His hand was still on my knee, not moving or retreating. His eyes kept a stern gaze to me, waiting for my answer. I looked down to my hands, finally, after I could feel myself flush from embarrassment, and then looked back to Miharu. I noticed him tilt his head, as if provoking a response from me, and then his lips formed a thin line while his eyes got bigger.

"Please, Yoite?" He whimpered pitifully. Normally his cute, childish and somewhat demonic act wouldn't work on me, but due to all the things happening around me in my new life, it seemed to work, even just a tiny bit.

"I guess..." I stopped to think through my decision carefully, to make sure there was no way this could come back at me. "It would be okay." I let the rest slip through my lips on a hesitant breath. Miharu seemed thrilled by my answer.

"Thank you, Yoite. I know you'll have a great time, I promise." Miharu smiled widely to me, but I could see the devil wings protruding from his back. I smiled, pretending not to notice them. What I really didn't notice was the presence of someone else besides us in the room.

"Hello Hana-san," Miharu seemed to notice her long before I did and looked to greet her kindly.

"Oh hello Miharu. What a pleasure seeing you today." Hana smiled her warm and angelic smile as she walked into the room with a book in her hands, just recently returning from the library. She said this every day, and I found myself starting to wonder if when she said it every day she meant it, or if it was a force of habit.

"Good afternoon, Hana." I murmured, trying to not seem so inconspicuous.

"Hello Yoite. How are you feeling today?" She asked as she gently moved through the room and sat in her chair, placing her book in her lap.

"I'm okay today." I said. It was partially true. I noticed when I woke up this morning that my eyes had been focusing in and out on things close to my face, like a camera that couldn't focus on something to close to its lens. I wouldn't say it out loud though, or at least not with Miharu able to hear it. I didn't want him to worry.

"That's good to hear. The new year brings new and wonderful things." She smiled while pointing a finger at nothing in particular.

"Speaking of New Year, are you going to the festival tomorrow, Hana-san?" Miharu asked curiously, like he was purposely trying to bring the conversation up for alternative reasons.

"I hope so." Hana leaned her cheek against the palm of her hand, seeming suddenly depressed. "I really want Thobari to go, but he doesn't want to." She sighed.

"He's so boring sometimes." Miharu kicked his feet back and forth against the couch, and I could see the wheels in his head turning. What was he planning now?

"Are you going to the festival, Miharu?" Hana asked while leaning against her chair.

"Yes. Yoite and I are going together." Miharu leaned his head on my shoulder, smiling as he did so. I felt as if I was missing some sort of joke when I could see Hana wink to him while humming.

"Oh I see." She said, and I still remained confused. "Well what other festivals have you been to, Yoite? And what about you, Miharu?" Hana asked.

"I've only ever been to the ones here." Miharu stated. "But they're lots of fun." Miharu looked up to me. I felt myself blush, knowing the truth would come out sooner or later.

"I've... Never really been to one before." I admitted sheepishly. Miharu seemed surprised, but not as surprised as Hana who gasped and left her mouth wide open.

"You haven't?" She seemed somewhat mortified. I hesitated to shake my head.

"No, I haven't."

"We'll then this is perfect, Yoite." Miharu's grip on my arm tightened. "This'll be your first festival. I'll make sure then that it's extra special." Miharu smiled.

"And since it's your first festival, it will definitely be special." Hana sighed as she leaned back into her chair. "I remember my first festival. I was thirteen years old, and I had asked this boy I really liked to go with me. We went and had such a wonderful time, and he treated me like such a lady." She seemed to flush colors to the memories of her past.

I actually liked hearing the back stories people had to offer. I liked hearing about the things that made them the way they were today. I didn't pry for the information, but if they started talking about it, I wouldn't stop them.

"Oh, I remember him being my first kiss too. He walked me home and to my front door, and he kissed me so quickly before I even knew it." Miharu seemed to smile to her own memories, as if he could picture the memories clearly. "He seemed so surprised himself that he ended up running away back home." Hana began laughing at the silly memory.

"That sounds like something from a fairy tale." Miharu said. I nodded my head, agreeing with him. If, just maybe, I had been born normal, my life could have been somewhat like Hana's, like the fairy tale she had just told.

"And when it happens to you it definitely feels like one. Oh I hope you boys can experience those feelings. You really do feel like you're floating." Hana was so dazed in her thoughts she didn't hear her roommate and boyfriend walk into the house. Miharu lifted his head up and wiped the smile from his face, and I could tell he was refusing to show emotion around Thobari sensei.

"Are you really floating when it happens?" I asked, completely ignoring Thobari as he walked into the room. Hana waved her hand to Thobari as she continued to speak.

"Well you're so dazed you can't tell. I'm sure I made it a few inches off the ground though." I couldn't help but feel slightly memorized by her speech. Was something as simple as a first kiss that remarkable? I didn't see it, but then again, I hadn't even experienced my first kiss, so I wasn't one to talk.

"Why were you a few inches off of the ground?" Thobari interjected himself into the conversation as he walked behind Hana's chair and hugged her from behind.

"We were just talking about Hana's first kiss." Miharu said, obvious to even me that he was just trying to upset Thobari.

"Didn't you say I was your first kiss?" Thobari looked down to Hana, like he was hurt.

"Oh of course you were." Hana playfully slapped an arm of his and opened her book.

"I don't think Thobari sensei was even born when you were thirteen, Hana-san." Miharu said. I turned my head to stifle a laugh.

"I am not that old." Hana buried her face in her book, and I could see the cringe of pain on her face hidden beneath pages of her lengthy book. Thobari seemed slightly confused, but then he looked to Miharu and frowned slightly.

"Miharu, what are you still doing here?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Miharu leaned back into my arm again, like he was physically showing him the answer.

"It's late. You should be getting home." Thobari pointed to his watch. Miharu looked to the wall clock and frowned once again, noticing Thobari had been telling the truth. It was past eight o'clock, and it was dark out.

"Oh..." Miharu murmured. "Well I guess I should go." Miharu sighed as he stood up from the couch and stretched.

"I'll see you later, Miharu." I smiled to him and said. Miharu looked down at me and smiled while his hand touched my shoulder, then whisked away.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Yoite." Miharu said, like he was reminding me that I was going to the festival. Miharu jogged over to the front door, but then stopped and turned around. "Oh yeah, Thobari sensei..." Miharu jogged back to where we were and pulled on Thobari's jacket.

"I think I'd be all lonely if you didn't go to the festival tomorrow. Would you come along with Hana and me?" Miharu asked. I smiled to myself, realizing this was what he had been mentally planning earlier.

Thobari looked away with an all-to-obvious blush across his cheeks and nose. I looked away and pretended I didn't notice a thing.

"W-Well I can go, but just to watch over you!" I heard Thobari say. Miharu cheered and clung to him like a drowning man to a plank, but as I peeked from my eyes, I saw those devil wings on his back once again, completed with a pitch fork tail.

"Thank you, Thobari sensei! I'll feel safe for sure now!" Miharu smiled with blushing cheeks to him. I was laughing hysterically in my head at Thobari's weak posture and sullen face. I saw Hana stand up and hug her boyfriend too, secretly patting the back of Miharu's head to say how great of a job he did.

They exchanged their goodbyes and Miharu turned back to me and waved his hand. I lifted my blackened hand and waved back to him with a smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Miharu." I said. This was my surreptitious way of promising that I'd go to the festival with him tomorrow. After that, Miharu left. Once he did, Thobari sensei let out a heavy sigh. I sighed to, but I wasn't hunched over at the wall in defeat.

I was just content and happy, but also eager. I was looking forward to the festival considering how Miharu and Hana went on about it. It'd be my first festival, and Miharu said he'd make it fun for me. Somehow that made me blush while I reached for the lemon cider I had left on the coffee table earlier when Miharu had gotten here.

"He will be the death of me..." Thobari groaned while Hana rubbed his back through his uniform.

"Oh relax, we're going to have a great time; every single one of us!" She said cheerfully, making sure to look to me to show I was included. I smiled as I began to sip on my lemon cider.

"Yoite is going too?" Thobari asked while lifting his head.

"Oh yes. He and Miharu have a date tomorrow." Hana winked. So shocked by what she said, I choked on my drink and was forced to spit it back into the mug.

"What?!" Thobari was just as shocked as I was.

"Wait-" I didn't know how to speak suddenly, and my voice was cracking like I was sick. "W-Why are we... What?" I wasn't even sure what I was trying to ask.

"You two are reacting so similar I'd say you were related if I didn't know you." Hana playfully slapped Thobari sensei's shoulder as she left the room. Thobari glanced back at me and then followed her at a brisk pace.

Now alone in the room, my mouth still gaping open, this left me time to think to myself carefully. A date...? That's what she had said. I knew what a date was, but she said Miharu and I, and then date in the same sentence. So was Miharu taking me to the festival as a date?

That word was making my heart pound. I placed my hand to my chest to feel my beating heart and tried taking deep breaths, but it was like my heart kept beating in my throat. My breaths came out ragged and harsh and for a moment I feared I would die. But I made sure I wouldn't. No, something like this wouldn't kill me, surly not. I had survived things most people wouldn't, so something this simple wouldn't kill me.

Simple... Why did I feel like I was lying to myself?

Yes, I was lying to myself. This wasn't simple, far from it. I had no idea to a date or dating, so this sudden thing, and so sudden from Miharu.

And Miharu of all people. After all that happened, I considered him a friend, my friend, my best friend, my _only_ friend. I assumed he felt the same, but if this was a date, does that mean he thinks of us differently? I had a feeling I wasn't going to sleep well that night.

And I was right. That night after being wheeled into my room and helped into my bed, I tossed and turned and rolled around in bed. Even my legs seemed restless.

I looked up to my ceiling, thinking maybe that it had an answer. I looked to my dresser and started thinking of what I should wear. Should I dress nicely? If it was a real date then I should, but then I started scolding myself in frustration and irritation. Why should I dress nicely when I was just going to a festival...? Would Miharu dress nicely?

I sighed deeply.

_'Why am I acting like this?'_ I only had to wonder to myself. I was so out of sorts. _'He's my friend; he wouldn't do anything I wouldn't like... Would he...?'_

I was so curious to know what Miharu's true intentions were. I was afraid too, and my mind was on overdrive. Somehow, though, I found sleep.

I woke up with the sun dim and still rising in the sky. My room was an array of autumn colors and vibrant smells. I could smell something good, and I thought about how Hanabusa san must have been cooking. My stomach growled loudly to confirm my thoughts, and I got myself into a sitting position. I reached over and pulled the wheelchair over to me.

I hated this part of the day. I sighed; it had to be done. I held firmly onto the wheelchair as I pushed my limp body up and into it. I fixed myself in the chair and and frowned as I looked down at myself.

Why would someone like Miharu, a normal, everyday student at Banten Middle School, want to go on a date with something as weak, defenseless, and as broken as me? All I could do was question this.

I decided I wouldn't let this get to me though. Miharu said this was going to be the start of the New Year, so things were going to brighten up, just like he said. I shook my head and began to wheel myself out of my room. All the physical exercise to my arms was helping me a lot, but it was still too much, and I ended up being breathless within seconds.

I wheeled into the main room where Thobari was sitting with his suitcase open and papers from the school in his hands. His face was questioning, but he didn't seemed too bothered by tonight. I could hear Hana humming a lovely tune in the kitchen and smiled. Her humming normally meant she was in an extra good mood, and I knew she had a good reason to be.

"Good morning, Thobari sensei," I announced myself into the room and wheeled over to the couch. Thobari looked up to me and smiled while reaching out to put his papers down.

"Oh, good morning, Yoite. Did you sleep well?" Thobari asked. He also seemed to be in a good mood today, too.

"Yes I did," I lied.

"Good morning, Yoite dear!" Hana called from the kitchen to me.

"Good morning, Hana san." I said, but not as loud.

"Yoite, is Thobari going over tests from yesterday?" Hana asked from the kitchen. I looked to him to see he was skimming through the papers again. I looked closer to see that the papers looked like tests.

"Yes he is." I answered. I heard stomping and I turned my head to see Hana moving forward in a brisk step.

"Absolutely not, Thobari! Today is your day off, and I'm not letting you work!" Hana yelled at him while waving a wooden spoon. I wasn't the one making her mad, but I didn't dare say anything, fearing she may come after me with that wooden spoon of hers. "Now put those papers back into your suitcase, lock it, stuff it in the closet, and sit down to eat!" Hana yelled the last part so loud I winced at her harsh tone.

Thobari did just as instructed and, after hiding his suitcase, returned within seconds. He sat back on the couch, still as a statue, and didn't move after that.

"Awe, see? Was that so bad?" She asked. I shivered to the feel of death emanating off of her. "Now, who is hungry?" She finally dropped her wooden spoon and smiled. Without trying to seem like a glutton, I answered calmly.

"I am," I said, and she smiled to that.

"Good, I made some wonderful broiled fish, tamagoyaki, tsukemono pickles, nori, natto, and some rice in the pot." Hana made my stomach growl loudly. Too loudly. The happy couple looked over to me and I covered my stomach and hung my head low.

"S-Sorry..." I murmured in embarrassment. Hana began laughing, and I fought back tears.

"Don't apologize, sweetie. I take that as a compliment." Hana smiled as she left the room to grab the food she had just listed off. I smiled weakly and looked to Thobari, who was shivering slightly, but otherwise unmoving. "Oh Thobari, will you get some dishes washed for me?" Hana asked from the kitchen.

Thobari stood, with his back as straight as a line as he marched to the kitchen. This made me chuckle as I followed him in, hoping I can be of some help. Hana was setting up a set of dishes on the counter and placed food in each. It all smelled really good.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked. Hana looked around the kitchen, humming to herself.

"Umm, no. I think we're good in here Yoite." Hana flashed me a smile. "When Miharu gets here, you can help him though." She went back to scooping some rice into a bowl.

"Miharu is coming by?" I asked. Thobari was too frightened to ask the same question I had.

"Oh yes. I asked him to bring some okanamiyaki over for breakfast. He should be here any minute too." Hana spoke his name kindly like she did with everyone else. When she said his name, however, I felt my heart jump a little. I wheeled out of the room without another word and moved back to the couch.

I swallowed as I waited, wondering if Miharu was going to stay here all day or leave. Would he be dressed nicely for today too? Would he dress warmly, seeing as how it was a little chilly? Should I dress nicely, or warmly? I breathed deeply, trying to calm my thoughts before Miharu was to show up. I didn't want to seem so panicked, not in front of him.

Just as I felt my heart start to slow, the doorbell rang through the house and my heart sprang back to life. Miharu was the only one who made me feel alive, or at least made sure I could feel my heart beating to know I was alive.

"Come in!" I heard Thobari's voice yell from the kitchen. I waited patiently, wondering if Miharu had heard him or not when I heard the door to the house shut and a voice rang.

"Thanks sensei!" Miharu chimed. I looked down to the floor, trying to figure out something to do so I didn't look like I was waiting. I was about ready to wheel myself out of the room and into the kitchen when Miharu appeared from around the corner of the hall. I stopped to make it seem like I wasn't trying to run away.

"Good morning, Yoite." Miharu smiled and said in the most light of voices I'd ever heard him speak. He must have been in a really good mood today. I lifted my head up and looked at him, a bit relieved to see he wasn't dressed up in any formal manner.

"Hi Miharu." I said. I felt like my nerves had suddenly calmed just by seeing Miharu and his beautiful smile. Miharu trotted next to me and sat on the couch next to me, his feet swinging. His cheeks were rosy, but I wondered if it was from the cold or if he was just blushing.

"Are you excited for tonight, Yoite?" I had noticed lately that Miharu said my name more frequently.

"Yes. I'm a little nervous too." I said. I was half lying. I was very nervous, for probably not the reasons Miharu was thinking.

"You shouldn't be, tonight is going to be wonderful. I promised, remember?" He smiled to me.

"I remember." I was right; he wasn't thinking the same things I was.

"Miharu, is that you?" Hana called from the kitchen.

"I'll be right back." Miharu said. I nodded, noticing Miharu had a few plates with wrapping around them; I was guessing that was the okonomiyaki. Before Miharu left, he held the plates in one hand and, with the other, touched my cheek. I blushed and he pulled away with a smile before leaving to the kitchen.

Without anyone in the room, I touched my cheek where he touched me. I felt my cheeks were warm with heat from the blush I had. His fingers had been cool from the weather outside, making my cheeks fight for the right temperature. My heart was beating fast, my shallow breaths quickened and my legs were shaking.

I sometimes wondered if Miharu did this just to tease me.

I heard some laughing coming from the kitchen, and then the three who were in there appeared with bowls, plates, cups and silverware in their hands. My stomach started to growl some more, but they were all talking, so no one heard it. They all set everything on the coffee table and not at the table so I could eat with them. Miharu seemed to nudge the food conspicuously towards me more; each he pushed being the bigger amounts of food. He also made sure I could be very close to the okonomiyaki he had made.

"Here Yoite, let me help you." Miharu pulled a normal sized, blue plate and gave it to me. He scooped some rice out of the big bowl in the middle of the table and placed it on the plate, then two pancakes for me. I smiled as he sat on the floor next to me and began getting his own food. I looked around to the others in the room, to Hanabusa san and Thobari sensei as Miharu and smiled.

This was the life a normal person was supposed to have, something where you can sit around and eat a big breakfast with your family. Sure, I wasn't related to them, but they are the only real family I knew. They are all I have.

"Yoite," I looked to Miharu who seemed concerned about something.

"Yes?"

"You seem to be staring off in space. Are you okay?" Miharu asked me. I smiled to him and nodded my head.

"I'm fine," I said and began shoveling Miharu's okonomiyaki into my mouth, just to show him I was alright. Miharu smiled and began taking tiny bites of food. I watched him eat, thinking of how cute it was that he ate such small bites from his food. I must have looked like a glutton to him with the way I ate.

"So are you boys excited for tonight?" Hana asked after swallowing her first fork full of food.

"Yes ma'am." Miharu said enthusiastically. I was right, he was extra happy today. When Hana looked to me, I could only nod with my puffed out cheeks trying to make a smile.

"What should we start with?" Thobari asked while he continued to choose what he wanted to eat.

"We should try some festival foods." Hana suggested.

"I want some yakitori." Miharu said between a bite of tamagoyaki.

"What's that?" I asked once I could swallow my food.

"It's a lot of different kinds of chicken on a stick." Thobari said after snatching some food on his plate.

"That's not very fair Thobari sensei; almost everything in a festival is on a stick." Miharu said. I chuckled which seemed to make Miharu smile brightly.

Through the rest of breakfast, I got to hear about what went on in the New Year's festival; the foods, games, and even fireworks. I chewed my food carefully, as instructed by Miharu, and listened intently. Once breakfast was over Thobari and Hana cleaned for us, refusing to let Miharu and I help. As they left the room, Miharu looked down at the floor with a frown, seeming sad.

"What's wrong, Miharu?" I asked with curiosity and worry.

"I have to head back home. Grandma wants me to help in the restaurant before I leave tonight." Miharu explained somberly.

"Oh..." I murmured.

"I guess it's not that bad though." Miharu said, looking up from the floor. "I get to spend hours with you tonight. That'll make up for today." He smiled towards me as he spoke. I felt my heart flutter to his kind words and smile.

"That's right," I agreed, smiling as well. Before I had time to continue on what I was going to say, Miharu leaned forward and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I froze, fearing any reaction I could make. Should I yell? Should I hug back? What about saying thanks? I didn't know what to do.

Before I formulated an answer to my inner questions, Miharu stopped hugging me and looked at my face, an unreadable expression on his face. I felt my breath catch in my throat, waiting for something, anything from Miharu. I was used to his touching and his staring, but something wasn't the same here. I opened my mouth to speak, but he stopped me.

"I'll see you tonight." He said and suddenly was up and leaving. "See you guys tonight!" Miharu called to Hana and Thobari in the kitchen.

"Leaving so soon, Miharu?" Hana called out and joined us in the room.

"Yeah, I have to leave. Grandma wants me home to help before tonight." Miharu explained.

"Alright Miharu. Be safe and we'll see you tonight." Hana patted Miharu's should and said.

"Will do." With those last words, Miharu left. Hana lingered in the room, looking at me. I must have had an odd look on my face, because she walked over and touched my shoulder.

"You okay, Yoite?" She asked. I looked up and weakly smiled, still dizzy from Miharu's previous proximity.

"I'm okay," I said. Hana suddenly smiled.

"Oh, you must be worried about your date tonight. Don't worry, Yoite, that's just jitters." Hana said. Even I could tell how badly I was blushing.

"Stop using words!" I suddenly yipped with my voice cracking under the higher pitch I didn't really use. Hana giggled as she left the room and me alone. I breathed in shallow breaths again and wheeled myself away from the main room and to my room that Hana had so graciously made up for me. Once the door was shut and I was truly alone, I sighed loudly and rolled halfway out of my wheelchair.

Sitting there alone, I looked over to the time on my wall clock. I had to focus my eyes for a moment before I could read it.  
_  
'It's only ten-thirteen...'_ I thought to myself. I didn't know exactly when Miharu would be here, but after what happened I felt that my heart would burst like he would be here any minute. Without thinking about it thoroughly, I moved over to my closet, opened it, and began sorting through the clothes. I didn't have many, and most were dull colors like tan, black or gray.

I frowned and yanked some random shirts and pants from my closet. I never wore anything shorter than ankle or wrist length, for reasons of my own that I never spoke out loud, so all my clothes were the same. I set them in my lap and looked through them, but none were ever, or would ever be, as nice as Miharu's clothes. He seemed to effortlessly make his style, whether he was trying or not. If I had been born normal, maybe that would be easy for me too.

I sighed once more and tossed my clothes on the ground before pulling more out of my closet. I should dress warmly; Miharu would scold me if I didn't. I decided, after ten minutes of sighing and throwing clothes, I would wear a button up white shirt, covered by a warm blue sweater Hana had knitted me. The sweater was the only thing with a different color in my closet than the others. As for pants, I'd wear a simple pair of black jeans. Of course I'd wear the scarf Hana knitted for me too.

Then I looked at the clock.

_'It's still so early. What am I doing?'_ I moved to my bed and fell on it, my wheelchair rolling backwards. I hid my face in my pillow and rubbed my nose against it. My sense of smell was terribly weak, but there were still some things I could smell.

Miharu was one of them. My scent wasn't something I could smell, but I thought maybe that was because I didn't have a scent. I could smell some foods too; I assumed that was my stomach that did the smelling though. What I liked to smell though was Miharu. He smelled like food, like the okonomiyaki he was always making, or the vegetables, meats, or anything he used to make the okonomiyaki with.

I tired picturing his scent, but it was hard to do. Never having his scent clearly imbedded in my head, I couldn't come up with it on a dime. When I couldn't do that, I thought of each individual thing Miharu cooked or used to cook with and tried putting those scents together. That's how I assumed he smelled like. He smelled like Miharu.

So caught up in Miharu's addicting scent, it lulled me to sleep. I know I fell asleep because later that evening, Hana's soothing voice and gentle touch of her fingers on my shoulder woke me up.

"Yoite, wake up sweetie." With such a voice like hers, it was hard to wake up. It was like she was just making me fall asleep and stay asleep. I rolled in my sleep and moaned, but she began touching my cheek, which made me move away from the foreign touch. "Yoite, Miharu is going to be here in half an hour. Do you want to sleep more?" I heard Miharu's name and my eyes opened to her.

She was already clean and her hair was still wet and pulled up to stay out of the way. She was wearing a rather nice outfit as well. This made me think hard while realization dawned on me. I must of been asleep for hours.

"What...?" I sounded tired and sick. "What time is it?" I asked as I began to push myself up on my elbows.

"It's six-thirteen. Miharu called and said when he would be here. Do you want to stay home?" Hana asked and felt my forehead. "If you have a fever you really shouldn't be going outside, especially when it's chilly out." Hana mentioned.

I shook my head and moved her hand away. I didn't want to miss the festival, or miss the chance of spending time with Miharu. I knew I only had so much time left, so being sick would have to wait. I couldn't waste my time.

"No, no. I'm okay, just tired. I'll get ready and I'll be out in a minute." I said. Hana seemed hesitant, but she nodded and left me alone in the room.

Once she was gone, I lifted myself out of bed and went to the giant pile of clothes on the... Everywhere. I blushed, realizing I had made such a mess, all of it seen by Hana, who would only smile more knowing I truly was frightened by the idea of a date with Miharu.

My heart fluttered some more when I had Miharu in my mind. I began to search the clothing for the outfit I had picked out. I didn't realize I had made such a mess until I found the outfit under my heavy jacket, which I don't even remember seeing when I was shuffling through everything. I was quick to change, but when it came to the pants, I always had issues. Hana always offered to help me put my pants on, and elected Thobari to do the same, but I always did it myself. It was hard when in a wheelchair, but I found a way around it.

I moved back to the bed and sat down at the edge. It was easier to get my pants on this way instead of being in the wheel chair where the only progress made was feet from the bed. I slid my pants off my nearly useless legs and tossed them aside so I could put the clean ones on. I was fine getting them over my feet, just pulling them over my hips was the hard part. I had to lay down and find a position to keep my hips in the air.

After a while I got it, it was just a lengthy and annoying process. Once my pants and shirt were on, I pulled the blue sweater over my head and put my shoes on. The last thing was the white scarf which was in the living room where I left it earlier. I looked at myself in the mirror and frowned. I felt the colorful top Hana had made me only made me look weaker and more dead.

I decided to ignore it, knowing I'd lose either way. I leaned against my wheelchair and looked back into the mirror at myself. I frowned at how weak I looked, and this wheelchair didn't help any. Miharu must have been doing this out of pity, because no one should even be near me.

Out of irritation, I pushed my wheelchair away and leaned against the wall. I didn't want Miharu lugging me around tonight. I took a deep breath as I used the wall as a guide. I began moving my legs forward to my door which was cracked open. I didn't make it far before I fell forward and clung to the door frame.

My muscles were already screaming at me to sit down again, to go back down to my wheelchair and to relax, but I didn't want that. I wanted Miharu and I to have a decent night. He didn't need to worry about me tonight because I'd be walking on my own. He wouldn't need to push me around anymore.

For Miharu... That's all I kept thinking about. It's what kept my legs moving forward.

Slowly, but surely, I made it to the room where Thobari and Hana were sitting and waiting for Miharu and I to be ready. Hana was messing with her hair in the mirror which was pulled into a bun on the top of her head. She looked very pretty and somehow even more mother-like than she normally did. Thobari was dressed in a suit, one much like he wore when he was at school teaching. He looked handsome, but not very father like. Even though Thobari was very protective to Miharu and I, much like a father would be, I never pictured him doing the whole parenting thing.

I cleared my throat by accident, alerting the two I was here. Hana was the first to see me by seeing my reflection in the mirror and was no less than happy to see me up... Partially.

"Oh look at you, Yoite!" She beamed brightly. "You're wearing the sweater I made you!" Okay, so seeing me walking wasn't what she was thrilled for.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay like this, Yoite?" Thobari stood from the couch and asked.

"I'll be fine." I said with a shaky tone. Thobari was about to question more, but there was a knock on the door. My heart fluttered once more when I could only imagine who it was.

"Oh, I'll get it!" Hana nearly ran to the door to get Miharu. I sucked a big breath of air and stood as straight as I could, my arm leaning against the door frame secretly to keep my balance. I could hear Miharu's voice faintly before he appeared from the hallway. My heart missed a few beats when I saw him.

He was definitely dressed for the occasion, at least in my opinion he was. He was wearing a gray button up shirt, similar to mine, under a thin and multi-colored cardigan with a V-neck. He was wearing a pair of green shorts, an odd thing to wear with the temperature. His hair was combed out of his face, letting his big green eyes free from his bangs. His legs were pale from the cold, and his cheeks and nose were pink like his lips. My cheeks were also red from a blush. Compared to him and Thobari and Hana, I was very under dressed.

"Oh Miharu, don't you look so cute." Hana was playing with Miharu's bangs, but his eyes, and attention, were on me.

"... Hi Miharu..." I said with a blush and my eyes averted to the floor.

"Yoite... You-" Miharu cut himself off, somehow nervous to talk it seemed. I decided to change the subject, just to make him feel better.

"Y-You look nice..." I mumbled, looking at the floor.

"This...?" Miharu pointed to the sweater with a blush. "Oh, my grandma made me wear it." Miharu rubbed the back of his head nervously. "You look nice too." He said. I blushed.

"T-Thanks..." It grew silent after I spoke. Thobari seemed to notice the heavy atmosphere, and I mentally thanked him over and over again for what he did next.

"Well, we're wasting time here. Let's get going!" Thobari said enthusiastically. I sighed when Miharu finally looked away, letting the intensity of his gaze stop weighing me down. Miharu, Hana and I agreed to it and the three of them began moving out. Miharu turned around and waited for me, but I didn't move.

"Yoite...?" Miharu walked over to me and touched my arm gently. "Are you okay?" Miharu asked.

"I'm fine," I said. I carefully looked down at my hand barely holding onto the frame.

"If you're nervous, there's no reason to be." Miharu said, but I noticed his eyes flicker to my hand, and I knew he understood the reason to my halt.

"No, no. I'm okay, let's go." I faked a smile and finally let go. To my surprise, I was able to hold myself up... For the first step. Once my foot had pressure on it, I collapsed, but Miharu was there to catch me. He was always there for me if I fell.

"A-Are you okay?" Miharu asked with worry. He lowered us both to the ground so I could rest and forced me to look at him. When I saw his eyes and how worried he was, I buried my head in his sweater and held back tears. I wanted to cry. Even for Miharu I couldn't do it.

"Yoite, are you alright?" I heard Hana's voice ask. I nodded my head. I couldn't answer verbally or I'd cry. "Are you going to be okay to go tonight?" Hana asked.

I held back the lump in my throat.

"Yeah, I can go." Miharu could hear the pain in my voice. I didn't need to see his reaction to feel him tense around me. An awkward moment passed, then Thobari sensei spoke.

"I'll get your wheelchair, Yoite." He said and began to leave.

"I-I don't need it." I uncovered my mouth, but I kept my eyes hidden in fear that I might crack. "I just need to catch my breath." I felt Miharu pat my back. I hesitated a moment before I looked up to him. He had his head tilted with a smile lingering in his pink lips.

"You know, Yoite, we're going to be walking a lot tonight. You may want the wheelchair so you don't get tired, like we will." I could tell Miharu was trying his hardest to make me feel better, he even mentioned everyone else so it seemed like I wasn't any different. I was so grateful for that, but if I wasn't like this, he wouldn't need to do it in the first place. I guessed, for now, if it would make Miharu happy I would do it.

I nodded my head and then leaned it against Miharu's shoulder. I could already hear Thobari walking out of the room. Miharu patted my head and I looked up to him again.

"What do you want to do when we get there?" Miharu asked. I smiled, glad that he wasn't the type of person to linger on issues.

"I don't know..." I pause to think, and like always, my stomach did the thinking and talking for me. My eyes widened and I blushed.

"I'm hungry too." Miharu giggled. My face hid in the crook of his neck and I whimpered. It was so embarrassing. I didn't have any control over my body anymore.

"I would love some yakitori." Hana mentioned. "I haven't had any in so long." Hana expressed "so" to show how long it had been.

"That's sound good," Miharu said. I could hear the squeaking sounds of my wheelchair and swallowed. I felt Miharu squeeze my hand, trying to reassure me. Thobari wheeled my chair up to us and, without rejecting it, I was helped into the chair. I frowned, knowing I would be the nuisance all night.

As Thobari started pushing me along, there was a weight added to my legs. Miharu sat on me and kicked his legs back and forth playfully.

"Push us, Thobari sensei!" He said in a childish tone.

"You can't be serious." Thobari groaned. This made me smile as I wrapped my arms around his waist. He was trying to make me feel better.

"Push us," Miharu demanded with a whine. Thobari let off steam and began pushing us both. We got outside, and the cold air hit us fast. It wasn't so bad that you would freeze to death, just nippy, like a spring night. Miharu turned around in the chair and snuggled against me, faking being cold. I knew he wasn't cold because, even though he was wearing shorts, if Miharu was cold, he'd hide it.

He just wanted to snuggle.

"Are you going to be okay dressed like that?" Hana san pointed to Miharu's shorts.

"Yeah, I'll be okay." Miharu smiled against my chest. As we walked along, we talked a little about anything and everything. Miharu had stopped being so close to me only to lift his head and look at me while answering a question.

The other time he did this was to gaze at the festival in sight. I could see the bright lights, dim to my eyes, in the distance and my fears seemed to go away. Miharu was suddenly out of my lap and pushing my wheelchair without the aid of Thobari.

"Let's go, Yoite," Miharu was just oozing with excitement. I could tell he was trying his hardest not to just run and turn me into a bumper car.

"Hey, where are you two going?" Thobari asked with confusion.

"To the festival!" Miharu began moving faster to get away from our parental guidance. I wasn't going to go against him either. The thought of having to go wherever Thobari and Hana went was kind of somber.

The two were soon out of sight as we were lost in the crowd of people. There were so many people it was overwhelming. The amounts of smells were very much the same.

"So you wanted something to eat, yeah?" Miharu asked while leaning over my shoulder to look at me. I nodded my head eagerly as Miharu began looking around. There were so many food stands I didn't even think we'd have time to go through them all. I could smell the strong scents from each food stand, making my stomach talk some more. I was glad that there were so many people around, because Miharu couldn't hear it, at least for all I knew he couldn't hear it.

"Well there's some yatame." Miharu pointed to the colorful balls of fluff in bags at the stand closest to us. "Would you like some of that now? We could save it for dessert later if not." Miharu said.

"Let's save it for dessert." I said, still hypnotized by the foods. Miharu giggled and pointed to another stand.

"How about some yakisoba then?" He asked. I watched the chef toss around the noodles and quickly nodded my head. Miharu nodded his head and moved to the stand with the yakisoba. I watched as Miharu picked out the food and handed the man the money. I frowned, knowing I probably couldn't pay him back.

Miharu was given two styrofoam boxes and a bow and Miharu bowed his head and handed me the boxes. I felt that if I didn't have any self-control I would be drooling at this points. I opened one of the cartons and saw the food and nearly did.

"Don't eat yet." Miharu said and began pushing my wheelchair.

"Why?" I asked with an unintentional whine, feeling the gates of heaven elude me.

"Save it. Trust me, it'll be worth it." Miharu had a rather odd look on his face that confused me. I sighed as I closed the carton and set it aside. Miharu went over to the stand where the yatame was and bought some. I threw a confused glance to Miharu who saw it and cornered it with a smirk.

"Okay, what next?" Miharu asked, moving at a slow pace. I looked around and spotted an okonomiyaki stand only a few stands away from us.

"There's a stand for okonomiyaki over there. Want to try some of theirs?" I asked. Miharu frowned, but nodded his head.

"Sure, I guess that's fine." Miharu said with some attitude. I wanted to question him, but he was somehow already gone and buying the food already. He was back before I could try to catch up with him with another carton of food left next to the others. Minus the attitude, we continued this small routine for a couple of minutes, buying karage, karumeyaki, jaga bata, crepes, and dango's which Miharu was so kind enough to let us eat while we went through the festival.

Miharu bought us fun masks too. I didn't wear mine as much because I had a hard enough time seeing things already, but Miharu enjoyed walking around with it on. He took it off when he saw the festival games.

"Oh, look Yoite!" Miharu pointed to the festival games and pushed me to them. The first one was simple, get a gold fish by catching it on a tiny paper fan... I thought it was easy at first. Neither of us caught a fish, but we were both smiling. Miharu stopped momentarily and tapped on my shoulder.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You have sugar on your cheek." Miharu smiled and said. Without warning, his wiped it away with his middle finger and licked his finger clean. He didn't seem like it was anything odd to do, but I was blushing again. I was glad it was chilly out, that way he wouldn't know the difference.

"Uhm... Thanks." I said, wiping my cheek with my hand.

"Oh look, let's go there next." Miharu was already pulling me along to the next stand with a game, completely ignoring what I said.

"What do we do here?" I asked while looking at all the toys with strings on them.

"Simple; you take a string and pull it. Whichever toy the string is attached to you get." Miharu smiled as he handed money to the friendly women who offered us smiles. "Be careful though, some strings aren't attached to anything." Miharu warned. I nodded in understanding and grabbed a string.

Miharu grabbed on a string hanging off of the stand and looked to me.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Yeah," I held onto my string carefully. I looked to him as Miharu began counting. At three, we both pulled. A China doll with long black hair fell off of the shelf first. Next was a small stuffed dog toy that fell off of the opposite shelf. We both cheered happily as we were handed our prizes. Miharu had won the China doll and I got the stuffed toy dog.

"It looks kind of real." Miharu examined the doll closely while holding it up into the light.

"It's pretty," I murmured fondly then looked to my dog. It was a small akita with brown fur.

"Are you going to keep it?" Miharu asked.

"Yeah. He can sleep with me at night." I smiled as I set the toy on my lap. "Are you keeping yours?" I asked Miharu who had placed the doll between his arm and ribs.

"No, I don't have much use for it, and something this nice shouldn't just collect dust." Miharu said. I admired that he cared for it, even when he wasn't going to keep it.

"Maybe Hana would like it." I said.

"That's a good idea. Thanks Yoite." Miharu said and smiled sweetly to me. My heart beat a little faster just for him as I looked ahead. There were still so many stands, so many my eyes couldn't see far enough.

"Where should we go to now?" I asked Miharu. Miharu looked to the watch around his wrist and murmured some things I couldn't hear.

"The fireworks start soon. We should go." Miharu said and began moving me away from the stands.

"Where are we going?" I asked while hugging my stuffed Akita for warmth.

"It's a surprise." Miharu winked at me and remained quiet after that. I decided not to ask anymore since I would find out soon. I sat in my chair quietly while looking around at the stands. I mentioned a few times how we should stop by some of the stands later, and Miharu agreed to it.

I wondered already how much Miharu had spent on me, and if he planned to spend anymore. I didn't want him spending any money on me if it weren't absolutely necessary, but he insisted. I didn't want to go against him, but he was stubborn.

"When will we get there?" I asked curiously while looking to him.

"Soon, I promise." Miharu touched my shoulder, but only briefly before his hand retreated to control the chair. I sat patiently as he dragged me along a path of stones lit by paper lanterns. Miharu followed this path for ten minutes at the most before suddenly turning off of the path and onto a flat, grassy path not lit by lanterns. "Almost there now," Miharu said, seeming eager to get to our destination.

I shivered to the cold path without warmth and waited patiently, wondering where it was we were heading. I felt us begin going up an incline, and my curiosity peaked. I had to ask.

"Miharu, where are we going?" I repeated my earlier question with a shake.

"Here," Through an opening in the path, Miharu pointed to a clearing. We entered the clearing where there weren't many trees, just a grassy hill. The sky was visible and clear without a cloud in the sky and the moon was full and bright. It overlooked the entire town that was lit up by the festival. It was a beautiful sight.

"Whoa," I mumbled, so awestruck by the sight.

"This is the best place to watch the fireworks, and no one else comes here so it's peaceful." Miharu said as he walked in front of me to a blanket on the ground. "I came here just before I came to get you and set this up." He explained.

"This is wonderful." I said in awe. Miharu grabbed all the styrofoam boxes of food and placed them down on the blanket, then helped me onto the blanket.

"We'll get to see the fireworks perfectly, and no one can bother us." Miharu continued as he began opening the boxes. I looked down to see the steaming food being released and my stomach started talking again. "And now, we can eat." Those words were like the keys to heaven's gates for me. I grabbed the nearest box, the yakisoba, and some chopsticks and began eating.

"Thank you," I mumbled through my puffed cheeks. Miharu laughed at this response and ate some karage.

"This is really good." Miharu said after swallowing. I nodded my head and took a moment to swallow. "You want to try this?" Miharu asked and held some karage out for me to eat. I paused a moment to really taste it, having it hard to taste in the first place.

"It's good," I said with a smile. Miharu smiled and picked through the rest of the food, randomly picking things to eat. He purposely ignore the okonomiyaki though. Why, I wasn't sure, he just was. So it didn't go to waste, I picked up the carton and took some in my mouth.

Miharu frowned at the sight of me eating and I stopped.

"What's wrong?" I asked, curious as to why he seemed angry.

"Nothing..." Miharu turned away. I looked down at the okonomiyaki in my hands and thought about it.

"... Are you upset that I'm eating this?" I asked. Miharu's eyes seemed to flicker for a moment to the food and then away. "It is, isn't it?" I continued.

"... Maybe." He seemed irritated.

"... You shouldn't be..." I mumbled and put the food down. Miharu looked up to me with a little sadness in his eyes. "They didn't cook the vegetables thoroughly and the batter is dry." I said with a sincere smile. Miharu smiled at that and moved the carton of poorly cooked food away from us.

Once again, Miharu did what he did earlier. He crossed the path he made and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I returned the hug, suddenly realizing how cold I was when the cold was compared to Miharu's warmth. All too soon, though, the warmth was gone and retreating. I looked and watched as Miharu picked up his previous food and began eating it again.

"What was that for?" I asked with confusion and slight worry from his hasty action.

"... Nothing really." Miharu murmured between a bite of food. I continued to stare at him for a moment in the silence before I turned away to eat again. I picked up a random box and opened it to see the karumeyaki inside it. The smell was strong, and I was glad I had some food in my stomach to keep it from talking again.

I began eating again, and it remained silent for a few minutes while we ate. Miharu fed me a few bites of the food he was eating a couple of times. We smiled to each other and laughed when we would meet each other's eyes. This peace and quiet time between us was nice. I liked having this time to us, because this was the time we could just be us. We weren't afraid to be us around each other, and it was a relief knowing I didn't have to act a certain way, look or talk a certain way.

At these times, we also learned things about each other. We talked about random things, small things that wouldn't mean much to most people, but meant a lot to us. It was times like this I learned about the tiny things Miharu did to seem apathetic. Him hiding being cold was one of them, and he was doing it again.

While eating, I watched him from the corner of my eyes and saw shivers going through him. I could see goose bumps on his legs, a dead giveaway.

"Are you cold?" I asked. Miharu looked up at me with surprise, almost like he thought he was hiding the cold so well not even the smartest of people could tell. He frowned when he realized this wasn't true.

"Just a little, not that much though." He squirmed a little to get warmer. I looked down at my food and swallowed. I somehow felt guilty.

All Miharu had done for me was so kind, and I wasn't just thinking about tonight. I was thinking about the day we met and throughout that time. All he did for me was kind, and it was all for my sake. I felt I never did enough to repay Miharu though, because, even now, here we were, and he was cold, and I wasn't doing anything about it.

I frowned. That would change. While Miharu was fidgeting with his hands between his legs, trying to gather some warmth, I put my food down and scooted closer to him. He didn't notice how close I was until I was already wrapping an arm around him and pulling him close. He made a small, surprised sound to my action just as I pulled him by the legs and lifted him into my lap.

I have to say, I was surprised at myself from where this strength came from. Either I was stronger than I thought, or Miharu was just really light. I was going with the second option.

"Y-Yoite," Miharu stuttered my name while his hands clung onto my sweater. I made sure his legs were overlapping mine and rested my head down on his. My left hand rested on his thighs while my right hand rested on the small of his back, keeping him balanced.

"Is this any better?" I asked with hesitation. I could feel Miharu shivering now, and I tightened my grip on him to help warm him up.

"A-Any better?" Miharu didn't realize what I meant until he felt my warmth, and only then did he get it. His shivering slowly started to recede, and he let out a low sigh. I rubbed my head against his without really thinking about it.

"Are you any warmer?" I asked, just to clarify my previous question.

"... Yes..." Miharu murmured. He sounded tired to my ears, and I held still in case he started to fall asleep. "Yoite...?" I lifted my head to look at Miharu.

His eyes were half lidded and he seemed tired. His eyes were glazed over with something I couldn't read.

"Yeah...?" I was unaware that the hand resting on his thigh had moved to hold onto it, making sure he didn't slip from my grasp.

"I-I wanted to..." Miharu looked down for a moment and I tilted my head to see his face better.

"Wanted to what?" I asked. My hand moved under his chin and my fingers nudged Miharu's face back to mine. When Miharu looked back at me, he shivered again. "Are you still cold?" I asked and tightened my grip again, inevitably pulling him as close as our bodies would allow.

"No, no. That's not it. I'm much warmer now, thanks to you." Miharu said kindly and smiled. "That's it... I wanted to say thank you." Miharu nearly whispered. I smiled and touched his cheek.

"It's nothing Miharu. You were cold..." I said. Miharu swallowed and frowned, like I had the wrong idea.

"No, I mean... For everything..." Miharu reached up to touch my face, his fingers brushing just below my eyes. "I-" Miharu was cut off when a sudden sound alarmed us. There was a screech, a whistle almost, and then a bright light. We both looked up to the sky to see the last of the firework that had scared us.

The colors of blue and green had momentarily lit up the sky, taking our breath away as the little flames danced in the sky and eventually fell down to Earth. Another went off, this time its colors were red and white. We both smiled as the firework took shape of a flower and then disappeared again.

"Wow," Miharu breathed. Two more fireworks went off, both gold and falling from the sky like it was dust. "Beautiful..." Miharu was in awe of the fireworks like I was.

"This really is a great place to watch them." I agreed with my eyes still watching the now bright sky. I could feel Miharu shift in my arms, but I didn't realize, or notice, his defined gaze now glued to me. While I stared at the stars, Miharu was looking at me with his green eyes, wide and loving. I felt his fingers against my cheek again, and I looked down to him.

"Yoite..." Miharu whispered before he guided my head closer to his, got closer to me and pressed his lips against mine. My eyes went wide with surprise while I held very still, afraid to move. His eyes were closed gently like he was sleeping and his fingertips moved to touch the back of my head. I didn't realize my grip had tightened on him, but he didn't seem to care.

He tilted his head more, and I could feel his incredibly soft lips slide against mine gently and then stop to hold still against me. I felt like Miharu was waiting for something, for a response, for me to yell or scream, or at least kiss back, but I was frozen. I wanted to move, but my body, like always, didn't want to listen to me. Instead, Miharu finally pulled away, looking at me with many emotions on his face. I could read disappointment in his eyes, along with fear and sadness, but he also seemed happy. That was what I didn't understand.

"Thank you, Yoite." Miharu murmured, and I could feel his breath tickle my lips where his soft lips were previously.

"Ah..." I felt like I couldn't talk. I was stunned, to say the least. Miharu frowned, waiting for my response, but I really couldn't come up with one. I can't say I was mad, because I wasn't. I can't say I was sad, because that wasn't true either. I felt an overwhelming sensation in my body, but... I didn't know what it was.

My quietness made Miharu frown more and move away, making me shiver because of the cold. He moved back to his previous seat on the blanket and placed his hands in his lap. I frowned when I lost Miharu in my arms. I wanted to look at him, but he kept his head down and his face covered by his brown bangs.

"S-Sorry... I'm sorry..." He murmured. I heard his voice crack, like he was crying. I moved forward, but I could see Miharu move away.

"Why... Are you apologizing?" I asked, but I really didn't realize I asked. I was just as dazed as when Miharu was kissing me.

"I-I thought- I mean I didn't think, I hoped that..." Miharu was stuttering like even he didn't know where he was going with this. "I... Got carried away..." I tilted my head, wondering what he meant by that.

A few more fireworks went off over our heads, but they were the last things on my mind. Miharu had lifted his head up to look at the fireworks and I could see wet stains going down his face. My eyes widened when I could see the sadness emanating from his eyes and, without thinking, I reached out to touched his hand hidden in his lap. Miharu looked down at his hands, which were slightly cold, and then up to me.

"Why are you crying?" I asked. Miharu seemed surprised before reaching up to touch his face. When he realized he was crying he pulled his hands away to wipe his face clean of the evidence.

"S-Sorry, I'm not crying." His voice cracked some more and I moved forward to sit as close as I could without either of us startling and running away. "The food, it's just a bit too spicy." Miharu said, but I already knew he was lying. I frowned and moved his hands away from his face.

I didn't want him to cry, but I didn't want him to hide it either. If he was upset, he didn't have to hide it, not from me, at least. I wanted him to know that. Miharu looked at me with pleading eyes and let out a shaky breath, like a pre-crying sob.

"I didn't..." He began and paused. "Mean to upset you..." He finished with the truth. I didn't realize that I seemed angry at the time, but that went away when Miharu told me why he was really upset. Now I was just confused.

"Upset me?" I asked, and Miharu nodded his head. "But... You didn't upset me." I said.

Miharu looked up with wide eyes for a moment before freeing himself of my grip and wrapping his arms around my shoulders. The sudden force startled me and we both went down, narrowly missing the box of Okonomiyaki. He fell onto my chest and I grunted from the lack of air. When he heard this, he sat up on his elbows, without fulling climbing off of me, and started reeling out apologies. I chuckled and told him I was fine, and I was, but I could see a lot of reasons as to why I wouldn't be.

After moments of Miharu's body pressed against mine and his unmoving form, I nudged his head with my shoulder and looked as he looked up at me.

"Yoite..." Miharu mumbled my name.

"Yes?"

"Can... Can I stay here...?" Miharu asked. I tilted my head when I didn't understand his question. "I mean, just for a while... Can I stay with you?" I smiled when I understood and nodded my head.

"If you want to." I said. Miharu smiled and rested his head on my shoulder once more, taking a deep breath in and then letting it out. I did the same and rested a hand on the indent in Miharu's back. Doing this caused him to let out a low purr.

He looked up at me and I looked down at him, smiling when our eyes met. My other hand reached up to touch Miharu's cheek and my thumb brushed under his eye. My thumb traced little circles on his skin, making its way from his cheek to his nose and then down it and on his upper lip. The soft texture under my fingers made me curious and I continued to rub my thumb against his soft lips. His lips seemed to part ever so slightly and I could feel warm breath against my hand.

I looked in his eyes again, pulling my hypnotized glance from his lips, and saw he was questioning me without saying anything.

"The thing you did before..." I murmured. Miharu's eyes were beckoning me for a continue of my sentence.

"Yes?" He asked. I rubbed his lips when he spoke and found my eyes trained, once again, to his lips. Miharu's hand moved to hold my hand, and for a moment I was afraid. He moved my hand lightly out of the way, but only a few inches, and smiled.

"... Hana said that tonight... You and me... That us going out was... A date?" I had a questioning tone. Miharu looked down at my hand, and I thought I could see a gentle blush on his face.

"Did she?" He asked.

"Yes..." I nodded my head, noticing Miharu seem to squirm away until his body was leaning half way on the blanket beneath us and still resting against me. "Is this a date?" I asked without hesitation. I could feel Miharu tense near me again and I wondered.

"N-Not if it would make you mad." Miharu suggested while leaning his head on my arm.

"I'm not mad. I wouldn't make me mad either." I said. Miharu and I shivered as a cold breeze passed over us. Instinctively, Miharu pressed against me to keep warm and I moved my leg over his to keep his bare legs warm.

"Then..." I tilted my head again when he tried to hide his face. "Would you... Be mad... If I thought of this as a date?" He asked hesitantly. I thought about it for a moment, but when I organized everything in my head, it didn't seem to upset me.

"No," I shook my head. Miharu looked just as surprised as I felt. I didn't think I would like being on any date with anyone, but after spending so much time with Miharu, after getting to talk and just be us, if this was a date, this is something I enjoyed a lot.

"Really?" Miharu asked. I went back to rubbing my fingers over his cheek once more.

"Really... I like spending this time with you." I said. I didn't add the rest of what I was thinking, which was, "because I don't have a lot of time left." I knew Miharu thought it and I left that subject untouched. Miharu smiled with wide eyes at me, a blush on his cheeks.

"Then..." He moved forward slightly on his elbow to get his face closer to mine. "Can I ask something of you?" He asked me.

"Anything," I agreed whole heartily. Just the closeness from Miharu was enough to make my heart start beating wildly again. My body felt light, despite my legs being numb and having very little feeling left in them.

Miharu ran his fingers over my lips while looking at them, then looked in my eyes with his cheeks red.

"Can we... Can I...?" Miharu looked away for a moment and back to me.

"Can we what?" I asked, my hand unconsciously slipped to his shoulder.

"... C-Can I kiss you again?" He asked. I felt my face flush from such a question as I thought about it. The previous sensations of Miharu's lips on mine still had my head spinning, but it was so soft and gentle. The way his skin felt on mine made my face light up even more with feeling.

"Um..." I said, just to get something to come out of my mouth. Miharu seemed nervous when my answer wasn't directly what he wanted, but he wasn't the only one. I wanted to give him an answer. I wanted to have an answer myself, not just for his sake but so the turmoil in my head would stop.

There was a part of me that wanted to run away, to be free from his arms and to be free from this affection. Previous memories of my past, the ones Miharu never asked of, were flooding my head and frightening me to no end, but this was not that. They were not him.

The part of me that wanted the kiss, the part I thought was winning, was the part screaming the loudest. Miharu was not them or him. He was Miharu, and he would never hurt me. I had given him plenty of reasons to do so, but those chances for pain never came. Miharu wasn't one to go and get revenge on people, and I knew that.

I felt guilty, because my past still haunted me, even after all Miharu has done to help me heal. Now new questions posed in my head. I didn't want to disappoint him, but I didn't want to do it for him because he would want me to do it for what I wanted, not what he wanted, even if he didn't like it.

I turned my head to look as a passing firefly caught my attention, letting my thoughts drift. I couldn't come up with this decision on my own.

"I can't..." I paused. This caused Miharu to frown. "Make up my mind." I finished.

"What do you mean?" Miharu asked. I looked to Miharu and looked in his eyes, and I was glad to see he seemed just as nervous as I was.

"I mean... I feel like I can't do it, and that I would disappoint you. Another part of me... Well, that part wants..." I couldn't seem to finish the sentence. Miharu's eyes showed less confusion, but he looked as if he was harder in thought, even more so than I was.

"I see..." He murmured.

"I'm sorry... I want to have an answer..." I felt so guilty for this, even more now because I confessed it to him.

"Don't be sorry." He touched my cheek and smiled. "I think you're causing too much stress in yourself because of this. Pick the part of you that's the loudest and listen to that instead." I could see it in his eyes, that he was fearing the rejection of the kiss. I thought deeply about it, but both voices seemed evenly loud.

"... I've... Never kissed anyone before." I admitted weakly. Miharu smiled sweetly and touched my lips again.

"I haven't either." He replied. I breathed out shakily. One of the voices was starting to speak louder.

"... Okay..." I breathed. Miharu smiled more as he rested his forehead down on mine. His eyes were open, staring into mine to verify if everything that was about to happen would be okay with me. I made no objections.

He kissed me.

My heart picked up its wild beating once more. The soft texture of his lips were caressing me, and that voice inside had never been any louder. I realized now that, that voice was my heart.

My arms reached up to gingerly wrap around his shoulders while a hand of his was pressing against my ribs, the other on my cheek. My fingers on my left hand grazed his cheek while the other fingers grabbed a handful of his shirt. This sensation was incredibly addicting, and I didn't want it to go away, but there was a pain in my chest, and I realized it was the lack of air causing my lungs to shrivel up.

I abruptly pulled away for a moment, a faint gasp escaping me while Miharu opened his eyes. He, too, was breathing like he needed the air.

"S-Sorry," I mumbled through a pant.

"What for?" Miharu asked, his voice cracking ever so slightly.

"I-I couldn't breathe." I looked away in shame, but I felt Miharu's smile gleaming on me.

"Don't be sorry for something like that." Miharu pressed a hand on my forehead. "I'm glad that you need to breathe. It's proof that you're alive, right here and with me." He added. I smiled.

Another firework shot off above our heads, and this time I looked up and watched the sparkles fall. Miharu rolled off of me and rested his head against my chest while he watched the fireworks. I looked down, watching the reflection of the fireworks in Miharu's eyes. He looked up at me and giggled with a large grin.

"What is it?" I asked.

"This year has already started out wonderful." Miharu said with an airy voice, much like what he had this morning.

"It has," I agreed.

"Are you having a good time?" Miharu looked so hopeful all of a sudden.

"Better than that." I murmured. Miharu rested his head on my chest again. He let out a heavy breath as he got the chance to rest. I followed and wrapped my arms around his tiny chest.

_'I don't have much time left...'_ I thought silently to myself, not voicing it to ruin the moment.

I looked down at Miharu and smiled as I rolled onto my side to hold onto Miharu and keep him warm.

_'But I'll spend my remaining time with Miharu in this New Year.'_

* * *

**A/N: Gosh, I feel like the ending was soooo cheesy and corny. XD "I realized it was my heart." How much more corny could I get?! XD This probably doesn't even need to be rated T! X'D**


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